Washing-machine.



N. n. THOMPSON, 1R.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6,191?.

v Patented Aug. 13, A1918 cation. Y

My invention relates generally to washingv NATHAN D. THOMPSON, JR., OF ST. LOUIS,4

iviissoiinr, AssIGivoR To THE ALMETAL Y MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MAPLEWOOD, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF iviissounr.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

WASHING-MACHIN E.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

Application filed September 6, 191.7.. Serial No. 189,981.

To all whom t may concer/i:

Be it known that I, NATHAN D. THOMP- sON,"Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement iii lashing-Machines, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and

which' it appertains to make and use 'the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specimachines of the type having a container, a hinged lid or cover therefor, a vertically disposed shaft mounted for movement through t-he cover, the lower end of said shaft carrying a-suitable clothes engaging member or pounder, preferably of hollow conical construction, said lid or cover carrying the driving or operating means for the reciprocating shaft, and my invention relates more specifically to means forlocking the lid or cover iii closed position, said means being also utilized for lockingthe reciprocating rod in position so that the `clothes engaging member. carried by the lower end thereof will not strike against the wall of the container when the lid or cover is swung into open position.

v It will be understood that in the types of washing machines to which my invention relates, the vertically reciprocating rod and the clothes engaging member carried thereby extend a. substantial distance downward v l into vthe container, particularly whenA said rod is at its lowermostlimit of movement, and with the parts tions, it is impossible.V for the lid or cover of the machine to be swunginto open posil tion, for the reason that the clothes engaging member on the lower end of the rod will strike against the wall of the container, and if the opening movement imparted to the lid o'r cover be sudden or delivered with considerable force, the clothes engaging member willbe bent for service.

Itis the principal object of my invention to provide a comparatively simple locking bar, .one end of which is adapted to engage a loop or keeper on the body of the container for locking the lid or cover n closed position, and the y being adapted to engage the 'reciprocating exact description, ysuch as will enable others skilled inthe art toV Ving drawings,

Figure 1 is an elevational view of theupreciprocating p cover thereof, and 12 in `their lowermost posi-" and damaged so as to be unfit opposite end of said bar rod when the latter is in its highest position,

thus holding said rod'and thel clothes engaging member so that the latter will clear the upper portion of the container when Vthe lid is swung into open position.

lilith the foi'egoing'and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanyin which` per portion of a washing machine, a portion of the container being in section, and showing my improved locking means on the lid or cover of the machine;

Y Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine, parts lthereof being in section;

Fig. 8 is a detail section taken approximately on the line 3*?, of Fig. 2; y Fig. 4 is a detail view of the modified form of the rod engaging end of the lockingbar.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, 10 designates the body or container ofk the machine, 11 the hinged lid or a casting which is fixed on top of said cover. Formed integral with this casting 12 are vertically alined bearings 13, the same being disposed at the center of the cover 11, and mounted for sliding movement through said bearings is a shaft or rod 14, the lower end of which carries a clothes engaging member or pounder 15, the same being of any desired construetion,but preferably a hollow conical member.

Formed integral with the casting 12 is a` pair of horizontally alined bearings 16 in` `which is mounted for rotation a shaft 17,

the same carrying at its inner end a disk 1 8; Pivotally mounted on a wrist pin carried by this disk is one end of a link 19, the

opposite end of which'is pivotally connected`4 to a collar 20, the

latter being fixed in any suitable manner to theji'ipper portion of shaftor rod 14.

laperture casting 12 is the locking means contemplated by my invention, said means comprising a bar 21, the outer end of which is adapted to pass through an aperture 22 which is formed in the upper portion of a plate 23, the latter being liXed to the body or container 10. The opposite or inne-r end of this locking bar is formed into a pin or finger Q4 which is adapted to slide through a suitable aperture 25 formed in the lower one of the bearings 13 and the end of said pin er linger is adapted to enter an aperture or recess 2G, the same being formed in rod or shaft 14.- This aperture or recess 26 is disposed so that it can only be engaged by the pin er linger 24 when the rod 14 is at its upper limit of movement. This locking bar 21 is shifted from one position to another by means of a button 27, the same being pivoted to the lid or cover 11 and said button being provided with a short crank arm 28 which is pivoted to said locking bar.

To lock the lid or cover in closed position, button 27 is manipulated so as to move the locking bar outward, with the result that the outer end of said bar is engaged in the 22 and when the bar is thus positioned, the pin or finger 24' is wholly disengaged from the aperture or recess 26, thcre by permitting the rod or shaft 14 to reciprocate freely in its bearings.

To open the lid or cover, it is necessary to shift the locking bar so as to disengage the outer end thereof from the aperture 22 in plate 23, and this movement of thc bar can only be effected when the shaft 14 is moved to its uppermost position so that aperture Y or recess 26 is in alinement with the finger 24. Thus, after the shaft has been elevated, locking bar 21 is moved inward, thereby moving the finger 24 into aperture or recess 26 with the result that shaft 14 is locked at its upper limit of movement and the outer end of bar 21 is disengaged from the aperture in plate 23..

The lid or cover can new be swung into open. position and as the clothes engaging member 15 occupies a position immediately beneath the lid or cover, said member will swin upward with the cover without striking the wall of the container 10. Cbviously, when the lid or cover is closed, the shaft 14 cannot be reciprocated until the locking bar has been shifted so as to disengagc the linger 24 from the aperture or recess in said shaft, and which action moves the outer end of the locking bar into the aperture 23, thereby locking the lid or cover in closed position.

In Fig. 4 the inner end of the locking bar 21 is shown bifurcated and where such con- Copies of this patent may be obtained for struction is employed, it is necessary to provide an oppositely disposed pair of notches in the reciprocating sha-ft 14.

A locking device of my improved construction is comparatively simple, can be easily manipulated, is effective in locking the lid or cover of the washing machine in closed position, and is likewise effective in preventing the lid or cover from being raised when the clothes engaging member is in a position where it will strike against the wall of the container.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved locking device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without depart ing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims. v

I claim:

l. The combination with a washing machine having a. lid, a shaft reciprocating therethrough, and a member on the body of the washing machine adjacent to the edge of the lid, of a locking member arranged for sliding movement on the lid and adapted when in one position to enga-gc the member on the body of the washing machine to lock the lid in closed position and when in another position to directly engage the reciprocating shaft to lock the same in an elevated position.

2. 1n a washing machine having a hinged lid and a reciprocating shaft arranged for operation therethrough and a member on the body of the machine adjacent to the free edge of the lid, a locking bar mounted for operation on the lid, which locking bar is adapted when 'in one position to engage the member on the body of the washing machine to lock the lid in closed position and when in another position to directly engage the reciprocating shaft to lock the same in an elevated position, and means for operating said locking bar.

3. The combination with a washing machine having a hinged lid, a shaft arranged for recipr'ocation through said lid, and a keeper on one side of the body of the machine, of a locking bar arranged on the lid, one end of which bar is adapted to engage in said keeper to lock the lid in closed position and the opposite end of said bar being adapted to engage a shoulder on the shaft to lock it against movement.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afliX my signature this 4th day of September, 1917.

NATHAN D. THOMPSON, JR.

Washington, D. G, 

